Cowley athletes named players of the week

Helping the No. 9-ranked Cowley College volleyball team go 5-0 on the week and defeat nationally ranked Iowa Lakes (No. 16) and No. 1-ranked Parkland College, sophomore middle hitter Lindsey Chandler was named the KJCCC Verizon Wireless Division II Volleyball Player of the Week.

Chandler has made great improvements as a middle hitter in just one year. This week she led her team in hitting efficiency at 44% and total blocks at 6.5. She helped the Lady Tigers’ run their winning streak to nine matches in a row and finished the week with 40 kills.

“Lindsey has improved so much and is showing how valuable she is to the team,” Bahner said.

Missing all but the first three games of last season due to injury, Cowley College sophomore Carol Rodrigues has returned to make an impact on the Lady Tiger soccer team. Her solid play has not gone unnoticed as she was recently named the KJCCC Verizon Wireless Women’s Soccer Player of the Week.

Rodrigues, a midfielder from Brasilia, Brazil, scored two goals and added three assists as Cowley went 1-1 last week. She had a goal and an assist in Cowley’s 4-2 loss to MCC-Blue River and finished with a goal and two assists in an 11-0 win over Independence.

“Carol has been a catalyst in our midfield so far this year,” Cowley head coach Dane Straight said. “Her foot skills are allowing her to get out of tight spots and make the defense focus on her and then pass the ball to open teammates to create scoring opportunities.”

Prior to last season’s injury, Rodrigues finished sixth in the nation in assists (18) as a freshman at Cowley as she was named a first-team Jayhawk Conference midfielder.

“She has worked so hard to get back and to see her effort rewarded is great,” Straight said. “She is an extremely dangerous player and I look forward to seeing her back at full strength by the end of the year.”